Ki-Less Protectors
by Pete the Rock
Summary: A cave finds Ash and Georgia where a village on the other side is under siege by rogues.
1. Bustering Anguish

_Disclaimer: No ownership of Dragon Ball Z or Pokémon_

 _Summary: A cave finds Ash and Georgia where a village on the other side is under siege by rogues._

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 _ **Ki-Less Protectors**_

 _Chapter 1: Bustering Anguish_

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A mountainside overlooking a sea of trees. The rising sun to indicate the new day. On a trail was a raven-haired boy wearing a red baseball cap with a white front that contained a blue double-circle emblem which the outer circle was split in half. He also wore a blue and white spring jacket and jeans. On his shoulder was a rather large yellow mouse with a tail in the zigzag shape of a lightning bolt. They peacefully strolled down the path, not a care at what may lurk around the corner as the mouse looked back from wince they came. "I told you that I left a note," he reminded. "Iris and Cilan can wait for us."

("But still, Ash...") the mouse squeaked in some fear. Instead of answering, the boy moved on up the dirt path with a scaling degree upward.

"Looking at this, I wanna see the view from up there." No hesitation, the boy climbed the angled slope. He reached the top within two minutes and stepped to the edge where he viewed the scenery. He and his mouse awed the breathtaking sight in front of them.

("Amazing!") The squeak from the mouse told the boy how it felt.

"Right? My reaction, too." The two wouldn't be alone for long.

"I actually prefer you away from Dragon Girl!" a young woman scorned. Hearing the voice, they turned to a dark pink-haired girl wearing a puffy yellow hat. She wore a green vest over a turquoise shirt and skirt, while wearing green boots over turquoise knee socks.

"Georgia, what are you doing here?" Georgia strutted up to Ash but focused her attention to the mouse.

"Your looking a lot better since the incident at Ferroseed Research." The mouse cooed from the soft stroking. "Anyway, I'm up here training for any new Dragon-Type Pokémon." The boy understood Georgia's reason.

"I could say the same thing. After all, I'm heading to my next Gym." Georgia seemed content with the boy's motivation.

"Still aiming to get to the top, aren't you, Ash? The other reason is that I found a cave… though it may be a tunnel. I thought about going in but if I told anyone about what could be in there, no one would believe me, especially Iris!" The briefing of the discovery sounded interesting to Ash, and he quickly picked up Georgia's intention.

"Hold on… you want a witness to prove this tunnel's here?"

"Bingo! And since hearing from Bianca about some of your exploits, I figured you could help me out with this." The mouse squeaked in caution about Georgia's findings.

"It does sound like something Pikachu and I want to see. Why not? We have time before breakfast is done." The sound of food gave Georgia a sigh of relief.

"At least some real food. I've been on these protein bars and water when I don't reach town by sunset. It's kinda funny that my Pokémon have better food than I do and I can't help that cooking isn't part of my forte." Ash shrugged his shoulders in the same sense.

"Yeah, neither can I." Not wanting to stall any longer, Georgia began her walk back.

"The tunnel's this way." Ash followed Georgia down the back path where she originally came from. In a few minutes, they reached the entrance of a cavern. Ash looked inside, seeing nothing but the bedrock and limestone within. He sensed doubt at first sight.

"Are you sure it's a tunnel?" Georgia realized he began to doubt her word.

"Don't pull an Iris on me! I'm positive this is a tunnel."

"Okay, but you're with me. After all, you need two to prove a case." Georgia sighed at the incorrect wording.

"I don't think that's how you say it but I probably have no choice." With Georgia behind him, Ash led the walk through the darkening tunnel which wasn't big enough for a normal walk. Pikachu couldn't stay on Ash's shoulder and walked alongside. The humans crouched to avoid banging their head on the ceiling. The tunnel's length was about a mile long. Nearing the end of the long tunnel walk, light could be seen and Pikachu raced for it. They reached the end of the tunnel and discovered plenty of the same from back where they entered. Ash and Georgia's moods were of disappointment. "This is a lame letdown."

"Tell me about it." Pikachu heard water rushing and ran off to the sound. Both kids saw the mouse running off. "Pikachu, where are you going?" Chasing the lightning tail mouse, the kids found a river flowing at an incredibly rapid pace. Its dirt brown color made the water look unsanitary. "That's some current. Not even a Gyarados could handle the speed."

"For sure. You drink it!" Ash snapped his head back at Georgia to deny the dare.

"As if!" Suddenly, there was a splash upstream. The three looked toward the sound of the splash, finding a young brunette girl in trouble. Barely keeping her head above water, she began losing strength and had no control of her flow.

"Help me!" she cried out. Ash and Georgia needed to act and save the girl.

"Talk about good timing!" she gulped at the scene about to play out as she snagged a red/white ball. "Beartic, I need your help!" She tossed the ball and released a polar bear with icicles as a beard.

"Good idea!" thought Ash as he grabbed one ball of his own. "Snivy, I choose you!" His ball opened and out came a small green snake with tiny arms and legs. The group had to work fast to save the girl.

"Beartic, Icicle Crash into the stream!" The polar bear breathed out huge icicles and fired them in the river as the girl started submerging. The icicles pierced the river's speed, enough space to keep it flowing. The girl smacked on the protruding icicles and stopped as the pressure of the raging flow chipped away at the icicles. Ash had to act or the icicles would break and the girl would be lost.

"Snivy, use Vine Whip to lasso her in!" The tiny snake grew vines from its neck and flung them out to the girl, wrapping one around her waist and one on her arm. "Hang on!" Ash, Georgia and Beartic pulled the girl against the raging river's immense flow. The icicles finally collapsed, breaking apart and falling in the raging river. The girl was now near shore and Georgia rushed to pull her to dry land. The girl reached with her only available arm and grabbed Georgia's hand who pulled her up from the drink. Georgia knelt to the exhausted brunette girl, wearing pink overalls above a white t-shirt who collapsed on her.

"Relax! It's all over." Ash turned to the Pokémon.

"That was great work, you two." Snivy sighed with a smile across the beak while Beartic grunted with a nod and its arms folded in front. His next focus aimed at the girl they fished out. "How is she?"

"A little shaken but otherwise okay." The girl soon gazed at the boy who helped her.

"Hey, how are you doing?" The girl offered a slow nod.

"Did you come to save the town?" she asked. Ash and Georgia blinked at the request.

"What's wrong with your town?" she wondered. Snivy and Pikachu came over to get information on this problem.

"You mean you don't know?" Snivy spoke but its talk left the girl confused beyond help.

"We've been here for only a few minutes," Ash clarified. "So we don't really know what's going on here." Dumbfounded, the girl showed the look of hopelessness.

"I-I see… Well, thank you for rescuing me." On that praise, she scampered away at a fixed direction. This left Ash befuddled to why she ran off.

"What was that all about?" Not even Georgia had a guess to her sudden departure. That's when Pikachu's ears perked up again, its head turning the other way. Ash saw the head-jerk once more. "Now what?" Out of the wood was a wild-haired blond young man in a white Chinese long-sleeve shirt and black slacks. His green eyes spotted the unusual creatures.

"What's going on here?" he spoke up. Everyone now turned to see the young man. Georgia's eyes glared sheepishly to the boy slightly taller than her. "And what's up with these animals?" Ash stood up to clear any confusion.

"We came here through a tunnel nearby and saved a girl from being swept by the current." The blond looked perplexed. By their command, these "animals" helped pulled that girl from the brown wash. The blond knelt to Snivy, hoping his suspicion wasn't absurd.

"You guys saved someone?" Snivy bobbed its head with a smirk. The blond awed the effort this little critter gave to aid someone in need. He rewarded Snivy with a soft petting. "That must take a lot of training to become rescuing animals, huh?" Ash giggled to the compliment while Georgia remained silent.

"Well, we _are_ trainers. I'm Ash, and that's Snivy." Georgia shrugged to Ash introducing himself and came to Ash's side.

"And I'm Georgia," she named herself. "We're Pokémon Trainers, though rescuing people is second nature to our real purposes." The blond blinked at the names Ash and Georgia spoke.

"Pokémon?" he repeated. Snivy squeaked to portray itself as one. "I'd like to know more on our way after that girl. Something doesn't add up, though I believe it's related to the Cell Games coming up." Information compiled from the blond's mentioning.

"The Cell Games?" The blond nodded.

"We have a lot to talk about. I'm Gohan. I was out on errands for my father and our friends." Ash and Georgia could use someone to guide them around. Ash faced the direction where the girl ran off.

"Anyway, she went this way," he reported.

"Then let's get going." Georgia turned to Beartic with her ball in hand.

"Not what I had in mind but you were helpful nevertheless," she praised as Beartic transformed to a ball of red light as it zipped back to its ball. One inside, Georgia trailed Ash and Gohan after the girl. Meanwhile back beyond the tunnel, a tanned violet-haired girl began to stir to the rising sun. She sat up, her eyes rubbed.

"Is breakfast ready?" she groaned. Also getting up was a tiny green dinosaur with tusks growing out of each side of its mouth. It also had a head fin.

"Just about, Iris," answered someone else. The violet-haired girl turned to a young green-haired man wearing a black waiter's uniform with a green bow-tie. Iris started crawling out of her sleeping bag, revealing a beige long-sleeve shirt with a pink collar and sweat pants. As she stood up, she found a paper under Ash's bag.

"What's this?" The paper had a note written.

IRIS & CILAN,

PIKACHU AND I STEPPED OUT FOR A LITTLE WALK. WE'LL BE BACK BY BREAKFAST TIME.

ASH KETCHUM.

Iris seemed perplexed with the note for them. From all she knew, he was merely visiting a friend. "Did Bianca stop by?" she guessed. Already, she developed an image in her head featuring a blond girl in an orange vest over a white shirt and faded yellow skirt over orange knee-socks knocking Ash into a pond. She vehemently apologized while Ash took most of his clothes off to dry. Seeing the near naked trainer made the blond fond over him to hugging and kissing his lips. Quickly, she stopped her train of thought before it had gone too far with her head shaking wildly. "That's a bit far for the imagination." The green-haired wasn't bothered by Ash stepping away… if only for the moment.

"Well, as soon as I apply the finishing touches to this breakfast treat, he and Pikachu will dash right back here," he acknowledged. "Maybe soon. I'm almost done." Unbeknown to these two, Ash would not be around for breakfast. Instead, he and Georgia have a tall task ahead of them.

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Cell-Out

_Chapter 2: Cell-Out_

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Discovering a tunnel brought Ash, Georgia and Pikachu to rescue a girl and meet Gohan while Iris and Cilan wondered where their friend from Pallet Town disappeared to. Led by Gohan, they weeded through a wooded land and found a village which appeared as something out of the Wild West. The entrance had a sign reading "CHAZKE VILLAGE." "Did we go through a rift in time?" asked Georgia. Sand laden roads, houses made of old wood, the occasional tumbleweed… Gohan was more concern that the town appeared abandoned.

"This sucks!" argued Gohan. "This is the fourth village I've been to for groceries!" The detail got Georgia to question the blond.

"Fourth?" Gohan began to believe this wasn't a coincidence.

"Cell really put a scare in these people." As they tried to look for some sort of life, Pikachu turned to see a large dome on a nearby mountain with an emerald green roof. A squeak got Ash to turn to the dome and got an idea.

"You don't suppose they're all in that dome?" he questioned as he thumbed the structure. Gohan and Georgia twisted to see the dome, a thought that the villagers evacuated up to a safe place.

"It's possible." Georgia stepped ahead and turned to find something normally not seen in the Wild West: a green utility van.

"Looks like the village isn't entirely abandoned!" she warned. The boys came by, seeing the green van with a navy blue star somewhat over a red semi-circle. Gohan sensed something amiss.

"Let's go check." The van stood idle in front of a supply store. Inside were three men. One was a rather short, stubby man in a beige fedora while the taller man wore a cowboy hat. Both wore matching blue button-up shirts with their sleeves rolled up, black gloves, blue jeans and sunglasses. Behind the counter, the old man had everything white on him: hair, mustache, shirt, apron and trousers.

"Listen, old man!" the taller man urged to reason. "What is more important, Zeni or your life? The world's gonna end in over a week by that monster!" The old man didn't seem bothered.

"Can you be sure of that?" he questioned. "The immediate future isn't set in stone." The short man wasn't going to take denial as an answer.

"Shut your face, old man!" he snapped. "The villagers needed this more than you need the money!" The taller man pressed the shorter one down and opted a new approach.

"Listen, old man," he calmly pressed his point. "Maybe we can negotiate a trade: your supplies for lodging in the dome, no charges applied."

"You mean that death trap on the mountain?! I've warned everyone in the village that the dome's a bad idea." Choosing now to help settle matters, the kids came in the store.

"Hey, leave the old man alone," Georgia protested. Seeing the kids, the smaller man approached rather upset with the new interference.

"Get outta here, kiddies!" he yelled. "Get!" The taller one tried to ease his smaller partner.

"Burdwell, no need to yell at these young punks!" he tried to reason. Georgia's face puffed at the name-calling.

 _'Only Iris can call me a punk, that little kid.'_ Gohan stood forward with his reason.

"Listen, I just came here for groceries for my parents," he wished. The taller man snickered at the request.

"You'll have to look elsewhere," he advised. "This shop's sold out! It's going for a better cause than to rot in an empty village."

"By bribing him?" scorned Ash, his Pikachu backing what they saw.

"Mister Lao will be compensated by the Borbonne family after the crisis of Cell is over!" explained Burdwell. The old man, Lao, disagreed with their phony claim.

"That's enough out of you two!" he scowled, startling the two. Now he turned to the kids, mostly Gohan. "So, young man, is there anything you need? I'll be happy to check if I got what you're looking for." Gohan dug in his pockets while Ash scoffed at the situation that played out. The taller man wasn't throwing in the towel just yet.

"Get it through your thick skull, old man!" he roared right back. "We need all of this!...to survive. Ya dig me?" Lao saw through their bravado.

"Why? So that the Borbonne family will profit from my supplies and force the villagers to work for him?" Whatever the taller man considered, Lao refused to budge. Burdwell strolled to the shelves, a ploy in mind.

"Kasdan, I don't think Lao gets it," he teased as he saw jugs full of various liquids. "Maybe this will help him see our plight." He reached for the shelf but Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder, squeezed its cheeks and zapped Burdwell. It stopped the dwarfed man. Pikachu stopped its electric attack and Burdwell fell. Sparks radiated from the stunned man. Ash turned to Kasdan, a smug on his face.

"I think we know who the real monsters are," he growled. Kasdan looked a bit fearful of Pikachu. Things would get worse.

"Cell's here!" a girl's voice cried out. Her warning heard throughout the village alerted Kasdan and Burdwell to leave but not before Burdwell had his final piece.

"Don't say we didn't warn you!" he whined before exiting. Gohan's eyes dialated.

 _'No, it can't be!'_ he thought in fear. Ash and Georgia stood befuddled to the situation while Pikachu ran under the doors to see the van leave and the little girl, still shouting her alarm, back in the store.

"It's her false alarm," Lao sighed. Gohan gulped at Lao's realization.

"Wait, he… isn't here?" The little entered through the doors after Pikachu returned. Ash and Georgia's faces lit up at the sight of the little girl who had stopped her erratic shouting.

"Lime, what did I tell you about lying to the town?" The little girl jumped at her name and nervously twisted around to see Lao and the kids. Seeing Ash and Georgia, the little girl changed her mood from nervous to joy as she lunged and hugged the pink-haired trainer.

"It's you!" she cried. "You _did_ come to help out!" Georgia couldn't move, not wanting to startle the little girl. Ash turned to Lao for an explanation.

"How do you know her?" he asked. Lao folded his arms together.

"Lime's my granddaughter," he answered. Ash and Gohan quickly understood the relationship. "Right now, I'm her guardian after Cell ravaged the Chazke Village before and absorbed many of the villagers, including Lime's parents." Ash's heart skipped a beat from the brief story. To Gohan, he did come too late on at least one occasion.

"So Cell _was_ here?" he growled.

"I'm afraid so." The repeated mentions of Cell began to irritate the trainers. Georgia stood up, her legs held by Lime.

"Cell this, Cell that!" she groaned. "Why not tell us what's going on that this Cell freak is such a big deal?" Gohan and Lao glared at each other. To Ash, this was an opportunity to better understand the problems plaguing the village.

"We can work together to help the villagers in any way possible," he added. Lao and Gohan could use the aid.

"Very well," Lao assured. Gohan chose to start as he dug in his pockets again.

"Cell came from the future, created by scientists of the Red Ribbon Army," he began as he pulled out a pair of photos and handed it to Georgia. "The warning came from Trunks, who also came from the future to warn us of many events like my dad's heart problems which we've been able to fix." Georgia studied the first photo of a green creature that stood upright. His face did not have a mouth, orange scales in place of that below a green V-shaped helmet. The helmet and his chest had black jewel-like segments. His torso had orange scales and had dark green splotches over his body. He also had an enormous stinger as a tail and shell pieces that made it appear he had wings. Ash and Georgia cringed at the photo.

"Yeah, he's not entering a beauty pageant anytime soon, let alone winning one," she mocked.

"That's Cell after coming out of his husk. The other photo is after he absorbed the two androids that could power him up." Seeing the second photo, the trainers viewed some of the same from the first except the face looked rather human while wearing the same type of helmet. The face had white skin with purple under the eyes and looked to have a yellow chinstrap. The shell was black around the shoulders and the wings, as well as the leggings and crotch area.

"He almost looks human in this one," Ash surveyed. "So this is the… thing that killed Lime's mom and dad?"

"Yes," Lao replied. "Lately, he made an announcement about the upcoming Cell Games. As such, the Borbonne family issued a plan to 'keep the villagers safe.'" Now the trainers remembered the dome that they saw on the mountains and the argument when they saw Lao with Kasdan and Burdwell.

"You mean the dome on the mountainside?" guessed Georgia. "The one you call a deathtrap?"

"Indeed. The Borbonne family is trying to profit from the threats that if no one can defeat Cell, he'd destroy the world." Ash turned to Lime in realization of the details.

"That's why you give off the warnings," he figured. "You want to protect your grandpa and his business." Lime nodded to the guess, her care of Lao over-weighing her personal safety.

"I love my grandpa!" she proclaimed. "He's the only one who's taking care of me!" Ash understood the heartache and frustration Lime, placing his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

"There may be a way we can keep you safe better than the Borbonne's dome." Lime started to stutter from Ash being rather close. Gohan grew suspicious to their plan.

"How could you do a better job than what the family is using?" he asked. It only took a second for Georgia to figure out Ash's idea.

"Come on, Gohan," she snickered. "Did you forget where we came from?" It took a moment more for Gohan to remember that Ash, Georgia and the Pokémon weren't from around here.

"Of course! Not even Cell has a clue about how you came to save Lime!" The plan intrigued Lime as she wanted to help her fellow villagers if Cell had his way.

"Are there more animals from your home?" she wished.

"Lots more," Ash snapped his reply.

"And can I have one as well?" Coming over, Georgia laid a hand over Ash's hand and Lime's shoulder.

"Just as long as your Pokémon isn't a Dragon-Type," she joked. Ash sighed at Georgia's remark.

"I don't need a reminder about your rivalry with Iris," he huffed. Lao trusted the words of the trainers and Gohan to help the village anyway possible.

"Okay, let's put away the supplies and come by my house," he offered. "It's in the outskirts." The four kids and Pikachu nodded in willing to help Lao. Meanwhile, Iris and the green-haired ate breakfast despite Ash not joining them. Iris looked over her shoulder in hopes that Ash would stop by and have something to eat. The green-haired saw the somewhat disdain face of the tanned girl.

"It's not like that little kid to miss out on a meal," she groaned. The green-haired remembered the note Ash left, not following on his promise that he'd come back to eat with them.

"I believe that's the reason he hasn't returned," he pointed out. "You calling Ash a little kid." Iris didn't appreciate the theory her friend thought up.

"You're not helping, Cilan!" Her yell spooked the creature with the tusk to hide behind a tree. Hearing the rustle, Iris turned to see the creature scared. "Sorry, Axew. I didn't mean to startle you." Axew came out of hiding and returned to snacking on some large pellets. Iris had a plan to find Ash. "Okay… once I finish, I'll have Emolga search for Ash. I mean, he could have run into Trip." Cilan had doubts but since Ash hadn't appeared, anything could have happened.

"It's leaving an unsavory taste in my heart." Neither were aware of the real situation involving their friend. Ash and Georgia have more to uncover soon enough.

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Chazke Childish

_Chapter 3: Chazke Childish_

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Ash, Gohan, Georgia and Pikachu cleaned Lao's store and left for his cabin in the outskirts with him and his granddaughter, Lime. After they scared off supporters of the Borbonne family, Ash and Georgia learned of the crisis, not only in Chazke Village but the world from a biological creature named Cell who challenge the best to defeat him or suffer genocide. They ate, which fulfilled Georgia's stomach to have real food for a change. They stepped outside which Lao began to work on chopping logs. Despite his age, Lao used an ax to split the logs in half. The split logs fell off a tree stump used for a stand to cut the logs. "I know you've been asked a lot," Ash wondered. "But why don't you want to leave the village when it's threatened?" Lao chopped another log seconds after Lime placed it on the stump.

"I know that Cell can be defeated," he hoped. "Same thing happened when the world was under a similar crisis by the Demon King, Piccolo. I'm positive history will repeat itself." Georgia listened to the words of Lao, believing he knew how Cell could lose in his own Games.

"There's no such thing as someone being without weaknesses," she began to compare. "It's a lot like Pokémon, each one has a weakness or two and even dual-type Pokémon, while having a type to counteract its original weakness, will have other weaknesses that trainers need to concern themselves with." Already, Ash could sense her mocking Iris and the Pokémon she's trying to learn and master.

"You've already shown enough that Ice-Type attacks are super effective against Dragon-Type Pokémon," he pointed out. "Same as how each Starter Pokémon can counteract each other: Grass-Types over Water-Types who are strong against Fire-Types that circle back around on the Grass-Types. Many of the Pokémon Types circle each other to no end." Georgia would agree to Ash's information, only to point out that he hadn't displayed the effectiveness while back with his friends.

"Of course, that's coming from some trainer who ignores Type Advantages. He normally goes with operating outside the box." Ash fired a scorning face to the Dragon Buster, not appreciating the backlash.

"It still works." Lime giggled to the back-and-forth argument between the outsiders.

"That's… one way of looking at the situation," Lao surveyed the talk. Lime placed another log on the stump. Lao cocked the ax to swing again, on the strike, another log split. Ash then looked over to the dome, suddenly thinking the villagers chose poorly about the crisis at hand.

"Now that I think about it, the people of Chazke Village are running away from Cell's threats instead of coming up with a way to stand up in his face." Gohan and Lime awed Ash's thesis of the villagers' reactions on the Cell Games.

"If so, what do the Borbonne family have to do with it?" questioned Georgia. Gohan, now understanding the situation and the previous attack, connected Cell and the Borbonne family the only possible explanation that triggered in his blond hair.

"The villagers are running while this Borbonne gave them the dome to hide," he theorized. To Lao, it's not farfetched.

"Perhaps this is how they comfort themselves," he studied. "Being close to the people they know." Before Lime could put another log down, Lao began to feel great discomfort in his back. He leaned his body back but that brought little help.

"Grandpa!" alerted Lime. Georgia ran over to keep the grandfather upright. Lime immediately diagnosed Lao's problem. "Your back's acting up again, isn't it?" Ash and Gohan knew Lao couldn't continue.

"Lao, we can help you chop the wood," Gohan proposed.

"Yeah, you can rest your back," Ash offered. "It's my way of thanking you for the food." Pikachu also joined Ash in this. Lao felt greatly appreciated to have someone aid his chores.

"Thank you, Ash, Gohan," he praised. Gohan walked to the pile of logs, hoisting a few.

"I might need some practice," he said before chucking the logs up. However, two of the logs came flying Ash's way. Gohan and Lime freaked at the trajectory of the two logs. Ash grabbed a red/white ball, hoping to save himself from injury.

"Oshawott, Razor Shell!" he commanded as he threw the ball up and it opened. Out popped a white otter-like creature with a turquoise torso with a conch seashell attached to its abdomen. It removed the shell from its body as the logs started to fall. The shell suddenly had a glowing blue blade protruding out of the item the otter-like creature held. It sliced the logs as they fell. The logs split in half. Ash caught two split logs as the otter-like creature landed, posing with his shell. Those other pieces of wood? They smashed Ash in the head. Those blows immediately developed huge knots on his head as he fell unconscious… and hard on the dirt. Fearing major injuries, Lime, Georgia and the two creatures dashed to Ash's side. Gohan gulped, wishing that Ash's wasn't badly hurt.

"Oh no, Ash!" cried Lime. From the quickly grown bruises, Georgia concluded Ash's symptom.

"That's a concussion," she confidently believed. Gohan's concern grew but he forgot about the other log he heaved. That one clocked him at about the same spot of Ash's clobbering. He fell forward as blacked out as the other young man. Lao came over to check on Gohan as he regained consciousness.

"I respect you as a martial artist but it's easier with one of these," he offered by handing him his ax. Gohan blinked before grabbing the tool. Ash slowly stirred awake but in great pain.

"OUCH!" he shouted while feeling the lumps on his head. His vision blurred, he couldn't see Lime or the otter-like creature in front of him.

"You okay, Ash?" she asked. The otter-like creature frantically apologized for allowing the logs to crack Ash's head.

"Can't really see..." he cringed. Hearing Ash's struggle, Gohan dug in his pocket and pulled a bean to break in half before reaching Ash.

"Here, this should help you," he offered. Ash heard Gohan and opened his hand. Gohan dropped the bean to Ash's hand before eating. Ash swallowed the bean and after a few seconds, his vision cleared up and his pain died off.

"Whoa! I feel a lot better." Seeing the otter-like creature acting somber, Ash petted the Pokémon. "It's not your fault, Oshawott. It happens." Oshawott breathed a sigh of relief from Ash's forgiveness. Viewing the new Pokémon, Gohan and Lime pondered what else Ash carried.

"Pikachu, Snivy, Oshawott… Who else?" Instead of letting him answer the question addressed to him, Georgia backed Ash up.

"A Pokémon Trainer can carry up to six Pokémon at a time," he answered. "Of course, none of Ash's Pokémon are Dragon-Type, thank goodness." Ash had a solution to Georgia's ranting.

"When we get back, you can battle Iris as much as you want."

"Sure thing. Besides, you're better off with either me or that ditz, Bianca, not some wannabe Dragon-Type Master that can't train his Axew." Ash blew a sigh, flustered with Georgia's constant rants. After recovering, both boys started cutting wood with a pair of axes. Gohan's slice and retract was so fast, he was ready to chop the next before the log finally split apart. Ash took three or four whacks at a log before it finally fell. Lao studied both boys and their progress.

"Gohan and Ash's strengths greatly differ," he surveyed as he came to Ash's side while Georgia loaded another log on a stand. "Can I ask you something, young man?" Ash turned to Lao after cocking the ax back.

"Sure," he snapped his reply.

"Do you train yourself along with these Pokémon? It seems like you have accuracy but lack strength." Ash lofted a breath of frustration and lowered his arms holding the ax.

"Not really. I spend a lot of time traveling from town to town to pursue my goal as a Pokémon Master. I don't take a lot of focus on my strength. In fact, I'd say Georgia could cut more wood than me." The depressing truth prompted Lime to comfort Ash.

"I know," she thought up. "Let's take a walk. I'm sure Georgia can watch over your creatures." One look to a nodding pink-haired Buster told Ash that she had things here under control.

"Okay." Ash hacked the ax to the ground, facing Lime for the offer. Back on the other side, a black flying squirrel-like creature flew through the air with its cape-like flaps as it searched around. It landed on the tree and looked, not finding anything. Springing off a branch, it flew back to Iris and Cilan, perching on the tanned girl.

"Any sign, Emolga?" she asked. The squirrel-like creature shook its head, moaned sadly.

"Ash couldn't have vanished into thin air," Cilan hypothesized. "Someone or something must have taken him and Pikachu from the area while we've been asleep." A theory that began to disturb Iris. Cilan's theory may have pointed to an outside force that kidnapped Ash and Pikachu. To her, labeling Ash as a "little kid" may have been a misjudgment.

"So Ash may not have left us on his own?" The fear that they may not see Ash again began to weigh on Iris.

"The last thing we should do is give up. There's something we're overlooking." The motivation helped Iris refocus on how to find their Kanto trainer.

"Emolga, look for anything out of place like a cave." Emolga nodded before Iris flung it back to the air, resuming its search. Back near the village, Ash and Lime walked through the woods, Ash climbing up trees and pulling ripe apples, sometimes the branches holding said fruit down to Lime.

"Were you a monkey in a previous life?" she asked, amused with his nature skills. Ash began his descent from one tree with a branch having an apple still attached.

"Well, I've been teased about being a human Aipom," Ash laughed after he reached bottom. Back on Earth, he handed Lime the picked apple after pulling it off the branch. Lime returned the favor by giving him one he already plucked and placed in a bag. As he snacked, he recalled Lao's purpose of watching over the girl. Her parents killed by Cell, Ash felt huge remorse to Lime.

"Your mom and dad… They were good to you, right?" Lime heard the topic, turning and seeing Ash. She sniffed and bobbed a nod. "Listen… I know you'll see them again. I'm sure of it. Besides, you're not alone." Lime continued her nodding, believing the outsider.

"Grandpa protects me. He's a master Martial Artist." Ash seemed to underestimate Lao being an old man.

"You're kidding!" Now Lime shook the head, not nod.

"He would've done numbers on those Borbonne supporters if you didn't show up." To Ash, Lao might be aged but his background and protection toward Lime made him an ideal grandfather.

"I bet he would." That's when Lime became curious to Ash's prowess.

"Do you know any martial arts?" Ash blinked, unsure to answer the question. He soon recalled a moment with Pikachu.

"I don't know if it counts but I taught boxing to Pikachu. I mean… people in my world don't engage in fighting because of the laws." Lime realized that Ash and Georgia's world had more peace than where she lived.

"You're lucky. Why didn't we live there, have our own Pokémon to raise?" Ash placed a hand on Lime's shoulder.

"It'll all work out. If Cell does win, just come to the cave and we can keep you safe." His words struck her heart as Lime dove and hugged Ash.

"Thank you!" Ash gently wrapped his arms to hug the brunette in overalls. While Ash comforted Lime, cracking sounds echoed through the woods. Ash turned to the cracking sounds and Lime listened to help.

"What's that?" The sounds came near them and they chased. It was the sound of a cracking whip in front of the dome. More Borbonne supporters, men dressed in the same clothes as Kasdan and Burdwell, used whips on villagers wearing dirty and worn clothes over bruises and blood as they struggled to carry shipments of accessories to the dome.

"Hurry up!" one of the whippers scolded, cracking his whip in the air. "We got eight days before Cell attacks! This dome needs to be finished!" One villager, a man that appeared in his 50's, collapsed to his knees and dropped boxes. He breathed heavily and his body covered profusely in sweat.

"Can't go on..." he pained. Someone would not want him to rest.

"I made it an order to get the dome up and the supplies stored within the time we have left," a burly man demanded. The tired villager glanced up to see the raven-haired man with his head mostly within half-an-inch to his scalp while having a pencil-width mustache. He wore a blue tuxedo and necktie over a pink flannel shirt.

"Please, Mister Borbonne, I beg you to let me recover." The man stomped the villager in the head viciously.

"You should be lucky I don't have General Tao to take care of you… yet. Now get your ass moving before I ship you to be executed by Cell himself!" Hidden behind the tree lines, Lime growled at Borbonne's treatment of the villager.

"So that's the head Borbonne," Ash determined. "Not exactly someone I'd vote for."

"Yeah, Mister Brobonne's the mayor of the village," Lime described. "As soon as Cell made his announcement, he demanded the villagers to 'pitch together for a place of safety.' That's what helped make the dome." Seeing the situation, Ash quickly thought of a way to test Borbonne's courage.

"You wanna do that alarm again?" Lime gasped at Ash's request. "If I'm right, Borbonne may abandon these villagers to save his own butt." The idea gave Lime the pleasure of sounding the alarm… with a promise.

"Can you keep me safe?"

"It's a promise." An entire village unknowingly fell on the shoulders of one of their youths and a trainer who just visited the world. Ash doesn't have Pikachu or Oshawott, but what about Snivy or any other Pokémon? It will be a chaotic scene…

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. A Tao Order

_Chapter 4: A Tao Order_

* * *

Emolga came through the tunnel which brought Ash and Georgia to the land under threats of a creature named Cell. It perched on a tree to get a look at the backdrop of the woods. It sniffed the air and picked up a scent of something, leaping off and pursuing the aroma. It found Lao's cabin where Georgia and Gohan stacked the last of the split logs. "That should do it," Gohan said. Pikachu and Oshawott breathed a sigh of relief, exhausted from cutting all the wood with their attacks. Finding two of its friends, Emolga squeaked down to the group. Pikachu heard the squeaking and glanced up to see Iris' Pokémon. Lao and Gohan turned to the reunited creatures, curious to the black squirrel.

"One of Pikachu's friends?" questioned Lao. Georgia saw Emolga as well but her face was of disgust.

"If you're here, Emolga," she scorned. "That Dragon Girl isn't too far off." Emolga looked up to the pink-haired rival, shaking its head in disagreement. Georgia's scowl didn't back away. "Don't lie, you little..." Emolga quickly grew fear from Georgia's face.

"Georgia, I don't know why you have to torture that creature," Gohan pleaded. Georgia relented a little.

"I suppose. I can't get worked up about a Pokémon that's not a Dragon-Type." Just as Emolga breathed some relief, trouble echoed.

"Cell's here!" the shout of Lime bellowed over the skies. Her calls roared over the land and alerted everyone. Gohan shot looks to find the enemy that seemed to ignore his own threats to properly

"Don't tell me Lime's at it again," Lao groaned. Gohan somewhat relaxed himself before remembering that Ash was with her.

"Isn't Ash watching over Lime?" he asked.

"Yeah..." checked Georgia. Pikachu began squeaking where he believed the shouting originated.

"Ash and Lime must be at Borbonne's dome!" Gohan felt that he needed to make sure the two weren't hurt.

"I'll go on ahead!" he allowed as he jumped up. Without wings somehow, Gohan started to fly in the air, leaving Lao, Georgia and the Pokémon gasping in disbelief.

"No one told me he could fly," she gulped. Lao watched Gohan, getting a stint of nostalgia.

"So, he's one of those," he believed. Georgia's head twisted to Lao, wanting to know his information. "A group known for flying and using energy as a weapon. He may be the savior to the Crisis of Cell." Interested with where Gohan began to fly toward, Emolga lifted off in pursuit. Lime's shouting stirred the villagers in believing they're going to die unless they entered the dome for safety. Borbonne's men blocked entrance to the dome. In hiding, Ash wore headphones to drown out Lime's screaming, a tall order. Seeing the ravaging crowd fighting to enter the dome, Ash placed a hand on Lime's shoulder which stopped her.

"That's good enough," he praised as he removed the headphones.

"I knew my lying about Cell would work somehow," she snickered. "Thanks for helping me. I would say the same to Georgia." She gave Ash a small kiss on the cheek. Ash chuckled from the kiss, rubbing the cheek that received the peck. They stepped out and viewed the chaos in front of the dome which Borbonne locked everyone else from entering. Borbonne's men, vainly trying to hold off the mob, found Ash with his arms crossed and Lime. They realized the false alarm.

"Everyone, calm down!" shouted Kasdan. "It's a false alarm! Cell isn't attacking! It was a young punk's prank!" That prompted the crowd to stop the rampaging onslaught and allow Borbonne to exit.

"What!?" he snapped. "Don't tell me it's that same damn punk girl~! Where is she?!" Not wanting to hide, Ash and Lime came out to see the angered mayor.

"I actually see your true colors, Mister Borbonne!" grinned Ash. "Thinking about yourself before the village you're in charge of…" Getting a good look at Ash, Borbonne snarled.

"I've never seen you around here before but if you're aiding that punk, drastic measures need to be assessed! Get them, men!"

"Sir!" his bodyguards in black business suits obeyed as they approached the two. Lime ducked behind Ash who stood firmly to the oncoming slew of bodyguards.

"Please, Mayor Borbonne!" an old man pleaded. "They're just little kids!" Borbonne didn't want any backtalk from those who knew him.

"Can it, old man! This is my town and my laws! If you wanna live, you do as I say!" Ash huffed a chortle as he pinched the bill of his cap.

"You know," he started. "I've been wanting to release a heck of a lot of frustration that I've bottled up for a long time, mostly by Team Rocket." That's when he tilted his cap backwards and removed his jacket, showing a teal t-shirt. Gohan and Emolga viewed the scene from above.

"This can't be good," shuttered Gohan. As Borbonne's guards closed in, Ash balled up his fists, tucking his arms around his chest. One bodyguard reached in for Lime. Ash jumped in between, arming the bodyguard's arm away. He followed up with an impressive right hook connecting the jaw, just below the ear. Just as the bodyguard fell, he became asleep, knocked out from the blow. Lime looked at the fallen bodyguard, surprised that he dropped rather easily. Emolga gathered some wind under its cape and flew a little higher than the awe-stricken Gohan. "That was one punch! That can't be right!" He may have been seeing things but proof would come as another bodyguard jumped in at Ash. The raven-haired sprinted forward and connected a fierce right cross to the stomach, keeling the guard over. An open target, Ash dispatched the new attacker with a pinpoint uppercut to the chin. That bodyguard fell back, asleep as well. Lime saw the two knockouts, amazed at Ash's quick work. "I thought Ash was merely a Pokémon Trainer! Boy, he never told me about learning martial arts!" Kasdan and Burdwell came forward to confront the opponent.

"We should have done something to you and that little bitch when you chased us off Lao's store!" cursed Kasdan. Ash responded by waiving the two to come after him. Kasdan didn't budge but Burdwell charged with his tiny legs. When he jumped, Ash found the opening. He swung an uppercut, catching Burdwell in the gut. Suspended in the air, Ash used his other fist to catch the dwarf in the chin. Finally, Ash's arm acted like a piston when it launched Burdwell to the sky for a few seconds, landing on his back and his lights were turned off. Kasdan trembled from seeing Burdwell go down. He reached for his holster, a flash of silver glimmered. A potential firearm, Ash smiled.

"I should remind you that we didn't come alone," he smiled as he tapped the ground twice. Kasdan wondered for a second what Ash brought up… when suddenly a rumble echoed from down. With one blast, Kasdan lost footing and flew without any control as the ground burst from beneath. From the ground popped a brown crocodile wearing sunglasses. Kasdan fell on his head, instantly cutting his consciousness. The crocodile reached Ash's side and shared a fist bump. "Perfect timing, Krokorok." The crocodile nodded to the praise. "Stay with Lime. I got these." The whipping man lashed his whip at Lime and Krokorok but Ash snagged it and both engaged in a tug-of-war. The whipping man reeled Ash but that was his mistake. Ash used the momentum to deliver a flying hook. Not only was the whipping man taken to dream land, he lost his weapon. Ash twirled the whip and wrap it around his left arm. Some of Borbonne's bodyguards woke back up but seeing the new brace, they chose their health over their boss' money and began to flee.

"Hey, you get back here!" ordered Borbonne. "I'm not paying you to run away!" Ash faced Borbonne, his glare a warning to stand down. Borbonne had other ideas. "Hey! General Tao! I've got a punk that needs your attention!" Hearing the call, a tall man in a pink Chinese robe exited. He wore a steel helmet with red goggled built in above the pencil-thin mustache. He also wore blue slacks and sleeves over arms covered in more steel.

"Who's this 'punk' you're referring to, Lord Borbonne?" he asked. Borbonne wasted no time in pointing to Ash.

"That's him, right there!" Tao got a good look at Ash, a soft breeze blowing his hair to the side. Tao hiccuped in some hesitation.

" _That can't be Goku. He should be much older than that. And that muscle mass is pathetic."_ He soon straightened out. Ash eyed Borbonne again.

"Still hiding and not coming forward?" he taunted. "What kind of mayor are you?" Borbonne growled at the tease, his will to close Ash's mouth for good growing.

"One who makes a choice to maintain order by any means necessary… like keeping your damn mouth shut!" Ash balled his fists again, now with the whip acting as padding.

"Don't fret, Borbonne," Tao promised. "I'll make quick work of him." In a flash, Tao sprinted at Ash who quickly threw a left hook. Tao appeared in front of Ash and blocked the hook with an open hand, splintering the whip's handle on contact. Ash saw a moment to strike and rolled his fist under Tao's arm, tagging him in the sternum. It was a glancing blow since most of the punch got absorbed from the breaking of the handle. Still with the left, and with little windup, Ash threw the uppercut but Tao jerked his head back slightly to make Ash miss. Gohan and Emolga figured Ash didn't stand a chance against Tao.

"Something about that Tao guy wants me to jump in," he sensed. Tao prepped two fingers and lunged at Ash who raised the whipped arm, blocking the digits. Within a second, he fired a right hook to the stomach, landing a clean strike. Tao reeled for a second before stepping back to review.

"I see… you're not using a martial art. A young, prodigal boxer with speed and precision… not bad for a human sapling." Ash didn't respond to Tao's compliments. Tao suddenly vanished again before reappearing with a kick, forcing Ash to raise the same arm. This time, the kick destroyed the whip around Ash's arm. However, Ash took the opportunity, and arm's freedom, to snag Tao's foot and pull himself in for a teeth-rattling uppercut to the mouth. Tao fell back but stayed on his feet, although hurting from the counterstrike by covering his mouth. This gave Ash the opening and he couldn't waste a second as he started throwing a flurry of hooks, jabs and crosses before one more uppercut to the ribs. Lifted off his feet for a second, Tao fell on his face in terrible pain. Borbonne gulped in shock from Ash's dominance over the General.

"No way!" he stammered. "Not Tao!" Lao, Georgia and Pikachu arrived as Tao got to his feet. Georgia reached Lime and Krokorok.

"I'm surprised," Tao groaned, clutching his stomach. "Ever since I nearly died and my body augmented, I've never been hurt like this." However, Ash began to suffer problems by shaking his left arm. Tao noticed that Ash had a problem. "Apparently, hurting me comes with a price." Lao noticed Ash's discomfort with his left arm.

"Something tells me that Ash's left arm is badly hurt," he assumed. That's when Tao disconnected and removed his left hand. With a pump to his arm, a sword emerged, protruding from the missing hand. Tao raced at Ash who still tried to shake the pain from his arm. Tao slashed at Ash who spotted and jumped back. A little slow, Tao's swing ripped through the shirt and cut open the chest. Feeling the slice splitting his skin, Ash clasped the wound from around the right shoulder to his left hip. Blood poured from the wound. Everyone but Tao, Ash and Borbonne gasped from the nearly successful attack. A fearful Pikachu dashed to Ash's side as Tao's right hand unbuckled.

"Hey, what kind of little kid uses weapons in a fight?!" argued Georgia. Tao ignored the pink-haired and strutted toward Ash and Pikachu.

"Don't fret yourself, child," he sneered. "I'm just your ordinary neighborhood killer. Please understand how much of an example you'll be for disobeying the mayor's orders." He pointed the right arm which seemed to be charging a light. Worn out, Ash wove his good arm to Pikachu to get behind him. Georgia wanted Ash to escape.

"Get outta there!" Ash started getting up but time ran out as Tao fired a laser. Ash couldn't move fast enough as the laser blast erupted. Everyone couldn't move at seeing Tao kill Ash who stood up to Borbonne for his treatment of his people. Lime's tears flooded her face. Georgia's eyes stared at the blast, knowing Ash deserved better than this. That's when the smoke began to lift. Pikachu stood by Ash who didn't look to be charred. Finally, Gohan also appeared, his hand sticking out but clean of bruising or blood. In fact, the blast did nothing to Gohan, let alone Ash and Pikachu. Tao saw the new face and grew afraid.

 _'Wait! That can't be! It can't be Goku!'_ Lime and Georgia got to Ash's side, hoping he wasn't greatly hurt.

"There's no way I would tell Dragon Girl that you bit the dust." Fighting the pain, Ash snickered and believed Georgia's tease.

"I doubt she'd listen," he added. Lime eagerly wanted to know of Ash's condition.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"It's just my non-throwing arm, that's all." While Lao joined to make sure Ash wasn't in any serious danger, Tao needed to know about Gohan.

 _'Now wait a second...'_ he reevaluated. ' _Goku has raven-black hair. That brat's got blond hair. There's no way it can be Goku but I want to be sure!'_ Facing Gohan, his question needed that answer. "What is your name?" His attention on him, Gohan came clean.

"It's Gohan!" he named himself. Tao's mind eased down significantly.

 _'Gohan? I guess that's better than the alternative.'_ After a breath, Tao continued. "I see… For a moment, I believed your name was Goku." The name rang a bell to Gohan and for good reason.

"I know who you're talking about… I'm his son!" The General freaked at the study of Gohan and his connection to this Goku as kin. Witnessing the sudden change of emotion, Borbonne became suspicious.

"General Tao, what's wrong?!" he asked. "It's like you've seen a ghost!" Turning to his client, Tao tried to about face, a feeble attempt.

"No, not men particularly..." he denied somewhat. "Though you may become one yourself if you fight that kid." Just then, Tao ran to a tree and kicked it off the bark before hurling it in the sky before jumping on himself. "I'm outta here!" Borbonne, stunned at the turn of events, tried to call Tao back.

"Wait! Tao! You can't quit on me!" Nearly gone, he had his final words.

"I JUST DID!" The tree and Tao flew out of sight. Most of his bodyguards saying "No Mas" and Tao leaving the scene, Borbonne began to sweat even as he turned to Ash, Gohan, Lao and the Pokémon. The entire village could now breathe their mistreatment down his throat.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm your mayor!" No one listened and soon the heat billowing from the villagers and the trainers. Lime stood behind a bleeding Ash while glaring down Borbonne. "Oh, I see… You weaklings don't care what happens to all of you when Cell strikes! You think I pushed you to erect the dome before the Cell Games! Well, guess what… If you want to rebel against me, no one is setting foot inside the dome!" Ash scooped some of his blood and flung it on Borbonne to felt the splash of crimson to divert his attention.

"That's perfectly fine," he growled. "I can do a better job protecting these folks than you would, and there's no abusive labor to build anything. Besides, that may be my blood on you, but that could easily be Lao's blood, or Lime's blood or the copious amount the village has you'd be bathing in if you scrunch everyone in that dome!" Unbeknown to the mayor, Georgia got around Borbonne.

"Is that so? By the time the Cell Games end, you'd wish that you stayed in the village and cooperated with me. You kids don't even have the balls to face Cell!" As if on cue, Georgia took a quick step before delivering a brutal kick between Borbonne's legs. Borbonne gasped, winced and yelled in extreme pain. Seeing where Georgia planted her foot made the men wince themselves and cover their genitals, Lime turn her head away as did some of the village's women and the Pokémon to shield their eyes. For a while, Borbonne stood stiff as Georgia's foot remained wedged on every man's weak point for massive damage.

"Look who's talking?" she grinned before removing her foot, allowing Borbonne to fall and assume the fetal position.

"That hurt me, and I just watched it," a female villager cringed.

"Borbonne's not making babies anytime soon," a male villager joked.

"Not even Vegeta would stand after… THAT!" winced Gohan.

"Georgia, seriously?!" pained Ash. Surprisingly, Borbonne got to his feet from the low blow. Tears falling on his face from the pain, he ran off. The retreat of Borbonne spelled relief for the village as they cheered Ash, Georgia, Gohan, Lime and Krokorok for stopping the harassment of their cowardly neighborhood mayor. Gohan gave the other half of the bean to Ash who ate it. Once swallowed, the magic of the bean showed as his arm felt better and the wound on his chest virtually vanished.

"That was amazing, Ash!" praised Lime as she hugged the healed trainer.

"I'll say," Gohan agreed. "What martial art was that? Where you're only using your fists?" When she heard Gohan's question, Georgia's mind pictured the "martial art."

"So you took up some boxing before training Pokémon, right?" she guessed. Ash grinned to Georgia's assumption.

"Well, how else do I stay in shape?" he joked. "All that walking around regions?" Georgia's response was to reapply Ash's cap with a smile. With Borbonne cowering away, residence of the Chazke Village had one more problem: Cell and his world destruction.

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	5. Wave of Emotion

_Chapter 5/Final: Wave of Emotion_

* * *

Mayor Borbonne figuratively resigned from the village he forced labor on and the Chazke Village now had no one to take charge, though the villagers preferred no one instead of someone who would use the threat of Cell to take advantage. Lao observed the dome, nearly finished. "This deathtrap needs to be demolished," he urged. Hearing the old man, some of the villagers began to protest despite that Borbonne had ordered the dome made.

"Are you out of your mind, Lao?!" one woman disagreed. "We need this dome!"

"I know Borbonne wasn't good with us but he did give us the dome for protection!" a man debated. Gohan chose to end this discussion.

"Allow me!" he spoke as he stuck a hand out. The trainers and Pokémon weren't sure what Gohan had on his mind. That's when a ball of energy began to form from the hand, palm facing the dome. To Ash, his jacket back on over his ruined t-shirt, Gohan wanted to demonstrate something.

"Everyone, stand back!" he warned. The villagers backed away from the dome before Gohan palmed the ball forward. It struck the dome which exploded. The shock of everyone was understandable as the dome vaporized to nothing. Gohan nonchalantly put his arm down in a slower fashion than the jaws of the villagers and the visitors. "Wasn't that Focus Blast?"

"I don't know and I don't wanna find out," Georgia gulped. Gohan now faced shocked and angered villagers.

"That was only a small portion of my power!" he advised. "If I could take out that dome with a little energy, Cell would only need to breathe to destroy it. Mister Lao was right, the dome _is_ a deathtrap!" Now the villagers realized they had no protection whatsoever. Borbonne would've left the people of the Chazke Village to die, regardless if the dome was even constructed.

"But now, we're sitting ducks!" another man pleaded. "If Cell wins, we're all doomed!" However, the villagers continued to overlook the visitors, especially the one Lime clung onto. Georgia's clearing of her throat alerted everyone with Pikachu and Emolga on her shoulders.

"Apparently, you forgot about me and future junior flyweight boxing champion of the world," she teased. Pikachu got a good laugh from the title she gave his trainer.

("Best title ever!") he cackled.

"Now that you mentioned it, I've never seen those creatures before," the old man pointed out. It was the same old man who pleaded not to have Borbonne hurt Ash and Lime. Speaking of, Ash came forward to explain their findings, Lime holding his hand.

"There's a cavern near the rushing river which leads to our world," he proclaimed. "I seriously doubt Cell knows of it. There, Cell can't touch you and if this world's kaput, you'll still be alive." The thoughts blew through everyone's minds. The situation with the villagers had concluded…

"Gohan!" shouted someone new. All looked up and found a man much like Gohan, except taller, more muscular and wearing a jacket over a white shirt and slacks while riding on a golden cloud. Hovering above the ground, the man hopped off the cloud and landed on his feet. Gohan stuttered at the new man's arrival.

"Dad, I thought you were back home with Mom!" he recalled.

"Well, I've been waiting for you to return with the groceries. I understand that we have the next three days to train for the Cell Games while Krillin and Trunks are looking for the Dragon Balls." Hearing the name and recalling Tao's guess, Lao determined the new man was Goku. Emolga landed on Lao's shoulder to get a better look.

"Everything's okay, Mister Goku," Lao reassured. "Gohan's groceries are back in my cabin. He and his new friends were helping me out with a few things." Listening, Goku got the sense of the issues from the village elder.

"If that's the case, sorry for snapping like that." Emolga softly waived the apology while squeaking. Goku noticed the Pokémon, his curiosity peaking. "What's that?" Ash came over and extended an arm for Emolga to perch on his arm.

"Emolga's with me and Georgia," he claimed. "By the way, I had no idea you can ride on clouds here." Goku waived the golden cloud to his side.

"Flying Nimbus is pretty faithful when I need to reserve my energy." A great use of someone who need to rest their feet. This interested Ash to try to ride the cloud.

"Is it safe for me to ride it?" Goku wasn't sure about letting Ash take a lift.

"I don't know. Master Roshi told me that those with pure hearts can ride it." Ash wondered if he had a heart good enough for Flying Nimbus.

"Only one way to find out." Ash leaped onto Flying Nimbus and it held the Pallet Town boy up. Ash giggled at the result. "That's awesome!" Goku looked bemused at Flying Nimbus supporting Ash. Pikachu and Emolga also wanted a chance at Flying Nimbus. It appeared Flying Nimbus accepted the two Pokémon but then Emolga fell through and landed on its tail. Goku and Gohan saw Emolga's fall, already determining the reason.

"Guess Emolga's got a shady past," the younger blond figured. Emolga felt dejected from falling through the golden cloud. Georgia and Lime came over to Flying Nimbus themselves.

"So this cloud can be a little testy, huh?" the pink-haired believed as she palmed the cloud. That's when her hand fell through the cloud but she kept herself balanced. She growled at the rejection.

"I know that Nimbus wouldn't allow Iris to board," he speculated. Lime also tried but her hands fell through as well and she landed on her face. Her mischievous behavior had come back to hurt her.

"That should be her punishment for lying to the village," Lao confirmed. Helped up by Georgia, Lime whimpered at the denial. Ash stepped off to treat Lime of any pain, his hand stroking her hair.

"It's okay, Lime," he comforted. "I still will consider you a friend." She may have been turned down by Flying Nimbus, but the out-of-town trainer stayed by her side despite her shenanigans.

"Thanks, Ash," she replied before she leaned in for a quick pucker. Instead of becoming upset, Georgia grinned to the kiss.

"When Iris hears about this, her friendship to this kid's not the only thing she'll lose," she snickered. "Anyway, we've done enough damage to this place. Iris is probably worried sick about her Emolga." Ash looked to the Dragon Buster, his time with the people of Chazke Village about ended.

"Yeah, I guess there's nothing else here for us," he agreed. Goku and Gohan wondered about the world Ash, Georgia and the Pokémon entered from.

"You don't mind if we come and see what that is ourselves?" the son asked. Ash's chuckle spoke volumes for the two.

"Not at all. You're more than welcomed." The news allowed Goku to see if Lao can store the items needed.

"I'm sorry to ask but can you hold our groceries until we pay our visit to their land?" he requested.

"Of course," Lao acknowledged. "And don't worry about payment. After what your son and his friends did to help the village, it's all on the house." Goku blinked to the offer, not sure to believe Lao's hospitality. Nevertheless, he accepted the offer.

"Really?! Well, thanks a whole bunch!" It took about half an hour to find the cavern where the trainers and Pokémon arrived from, beyond the waterfall where Ash and Georgia rescued Lime. "So, you two came through here?"

"Pretty much," Georgia answered. "I'll admit, I didn't plan on finding the cavern, let alone luring Ash to get away from Iris." Emolga and Pikachu entered the cavern without hesitation, followed by Ash, Lime, Goku, Georgia and Gohan.

"It's a bit on the small side," Gohan complained. "A good Kamehameha Wave could widen it."

"True, son," Goku thought. "But Cell would find out and their world would be in danger of the same fate." They reached the other side, entering the Pokémon World. Emolga flew off to find Iris and everyone else came out.

"This is it," he portrayed. Goku and Gohan came out and viewed the sight from the edge of the cliff, the same spot Ash looked out to before Georgia met him.

"Doesn't look too much different from our home," Gohan compared. "Sure, it smells cleaner around here than it does around Bulma's home… and you don't see birds like that." Seeing where Gohan pointed to, Goku found a flock of gray doves with black wings fitting with a gray stripe.

"Pidove flying well," Georgia identified. Goku smiled at seeing the Pidove flock and had an idea.

"You know, I think I can flex a little muscle with a demonstration," he offered. "How about one Kamehameha Wave before we leave?" Gohan didn't like the idea of having his father try an ability.

"Dad, are you sure?" he questioned.

"Don't worry! I promise not to hit anything alive. Just one through the air wouldn't hurt." The kids felt that Goku needed room to execute the attack, thus they stood back. Meantime, a balloon started to emerge from the treeline. The balloon came in the shape of a white cat's head with whiskers and a gold oval coin embedded on the forehead. The basket contained two people in somewhat matching white uniforms with red "R" emblems. One was a woman with crimson red hair in the shape of an angled tidal wave while the other was a man with ice violet hair. The third in the basket was a white cat with the same embedded coin on the forehead.

"Once we find the twerps' camp, our Pokémon will sweep in and wrestle Pikachu to us," the redhead plotted.

"Yes, da tried and true plan," the cat mewed. Unbeknown, Goku just started his attack.

"Ka… May..." he shouted aloud, alerting the trio. They began to look around for the voice.

"Where is that coming from?" wondered the violet-haired. Goku continued his charge.

"Ha… May..." The redhead listened hard and looked ahead to the noise.

"Must be some funny language in Unova," she guessed. Goku now felt the time to let whatever he had out.

"Ha!" The violet-haired and the cat heard Goku's cries as well and came over to the sound.

"Some Pokémon practicing dere moves?" Before they could determine the origin, a small blue comet of light zipped through the trees directly at the burner. The comet struck the burner while the three inside watched it come and nail them. KABOOM! The balloon, the burner and the basket were all destroyed in that instant. The three began to fly off from the blast's concussive force.

"We didn't get a chance to get Pikachu!" cried the redhead.

"We didn't get a chance to do our motto!" whined the cat.

"We didn't get a chance to be in this fanfiction story!" teared the violet-haired.

"We're blasting off without a chance!" they screamed as they left over the horizon. On the mountainside, Goku stood rather shocked at what occurred, as did most of the others. His arms stretched out and hands opened while joined at the wrists and fingers pointing out, Goku thought he killed someone on accident. Ash's face said otherwise.

"I… didn't… mean to..." stuttered Goku.

"It's Team Rocket," Ash disinterestedly identified. "They'll be fine." Hearing this argument, everyone relented.

"Are they bad guys?" asked Lime. Pikachu squeaked to point at himself, claiming to be the target. "I gotcha." Before the father and son started their return…

"There you are!" sounded Iris. Everyone turned to her and Cilan finally arriving to see Ash after being gone for most of the day. To Georgia, the day got a little better.

"Looks like the Dragon Girl's made her appearance," she sneered. Words from Georgia and finding her made Iris' blood boil. "Boy, you missed quite the day." Iris passed Ash and confronted Georgia.

"You're the last person I need to see! I would've preferred Bianca or Stephen, but not you!" The argument nudged Goku over to Cilan.

"Are these two rivals or am I missing something between them?" he asked.

"No, Iris and Georgia are indeed rivals," Cilan confirmed. "An interesting blend of sugar and spice!"

"I could say it's like me and Vegeta, only as girls." The argument soon turned to Ash as the topic.

"By the way, I've seen Ash battle without his Pokémon," she brought up. "I don't see him as the same 'little kid' you call him." Iris grinned, thinking she found a method to overwhelm her rival.

"Is that so?" she called her bluff. "Wouldn't that make you an even littler kid?"

"If so, you'd be the littlest. You don't have a reason to travel with Ash, now do you?"

"I-I do have a reason!"

"Hopefully, you have a better one than hers." She pointed to Ash and Lime, seemingly once more before both resumed their lives.

"I know Gohan is strong, hopefully stronger than Cell," she wished. "If there's a way I can come back, perhaps I can play with more of your creatures?" Ash huffed a giggle, willing to help honor her desire.

"Of course," he allowed. "Believe me, my Pokémon would like to play with people like you." Gohan came over and joined in the conversation.

"I'm sure when Cell's gone, we can use the Dragon Balls to bring your parents back," he promised. "That way, you can show them what this world has to offer." That's when Ash offered another suggestion.

"Maybe in a few years, you can try some Pokémon training. It's a lot less stressful than what Cell's putting you and your grandpa through." Lime giggled, wanting to believe both boys.

"That's true," she laughed. "Thank you and Georgia for helping our village." That's when Lime stepped up and gave Ash one more kiss, lips meeting for a second. Iris gawked to the scene while Georgia's face sported a deep grin.

"So you _do_ have feelings for Ash," she teased. Iris snapped her burning red head at her rival, wanting to dispel her claim.

"I do _not_!" she roared back. The argument continued while Goku made one assessment clear.

"I know Flying Nimbus won't let Iris on board," he judged. Pikachu nodded in agreement. The sun began its descent but emotions had arisen. A rivalry exploded between two, curiosity risen from father and son, and two kids shared a moment that in the future may blossom. Ash may have Lime, but Iris has a few lemons.

* * *

THE END


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